Undercover in the Big Apple
by Musiclovesbest
Summary: Alex has been sent on yet another mission, this time he is heading off to NYC. He's running around the streets of the Big Apple, but what happens when he over hears a conversation and hears a certain name? Things get complicated, of course! When has Alex's missions ever been simple and easy, or his life for that matter?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Chapter 1**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Alex Rider or White Collar.**

**Let's get straight to the story, shall we? Here you go :)**

_**Edit: I did a few edits of this chapter and will do some with the other chapter but I have not changed anything vital. If you have already read this chapter do not feel the need to read it again, unless you want to. If you want to, then who am I to stop you, you just don't have to. They were mostly grammar and sentence structure edits so nothing vital. Anyways…enjoy!**_

Alex had been running for almost an hour now. He was positive he had lost his trail 20 minutes ago but he would rather be safe than sorry, especially after all they had put him through. Turning another corner he found an empty alleyway decorated with a couple dumpsters and boxes scattered all around. He took in his surroundings in less than a minute, noticing the cat that sat behind the dumpster at the far end and the drugs that were hid behind another. Turning back around he watched people go past as he slowly backed into the shadows, searching for any potential threats as he blended into the shadows.

He relaxed only a fraction as he backed up into the wall, the shadows swallowing him as he hid in a corner that allowed him to see a small amount of the hustle and bustle that was New York City during lunch hour.

Alex took the biggest cardboard box he could find and turned it so that the top was facing the wall, the bottom now facing out towards the ally. The hole there was just big enough for Alex to look out but no one to look in.

Slowly he let himself fall into the light sleep that any good spy had, ready to wake at the smallest sound that something was off.

Alex awoke to the echoing sound of shoes hitting the pavement. Quietly he shifted around so that he could see out the hole better. The ally was lit up from the streetlights on the main street and a single lone streetlight flickering in the back of the ally. The sky about was as dark as New York City could get and looking at his watch Alex realized it was almost ten o'clock.

A man in his mid-twenties walked into the ally, just passing the box Alex was in before stopping in front of the dumpster next to him before pulling out his ringing cell phone. "Hey Peter, what's up?" He was silent as the man on the other side, Peter, Alex was assuming, replied to him, listening intently to every word the he said.

"Yeah I know him. William Marks. He likes to stay in the shadows while he sends out others to do his dirty work. No one really knows what he looks like, it's rumoured that anyone that sees him is killed almost immediately. His own people don't know what he looks like."

Alex's interest in the conversation was suddenly spiked and he was on high alert. William Marks was the man that he had been sent to investigate. He was also the man that had figure out he was a spy without ever actually meeting Alex in person. From the way this man talked, it sounded like Alex was lucky he escaped.

"Okay, I'll be right there. I need to grab the file anyways; I accidently left it there earlier." The man hung up after a quick good-bye and walked out of the ally. Alex quickly following behind him; the worry of being silent left behind as he was surrounded by just as many people as there had been during the day.

It was not hard to find the man among the crowds. He was the only one wearing a classic rat pack suit and a fancy fedora. This is was the night crowd; there were not many businessmen in the crowd, mostly partiers, tourists, and the occasional criminal.

Another ten minutes later and Alex found himself in front of an official looking building. The man walked in and headed straight toward the elevator. Alex still followed but kept crouched out of the view of the secretary and cameras. He hid behind the side of the desk, just out of the view of the single camera in the lobby, watching as the numbers above the elevator doors lit up with each floor the elevator passed, before stopping on 21. A couple minutes later, the elevator had made yet another trip, detouring to a couple of floors before finally reaching ground level yet again. A few men and women walked out, saying quick 'goodnight's and 'see you tomorrow's to each other and the secretary, who cheerily replied with her own 'good night'. Alex slipped in right before the doors closed, the secretary to busy talking to a woman that had come down to notice the light haired teenager.

He pressed the button for the 21st floor before pressing himself up against the corner underneath the camera, continuing his game of 'avoid the cameras'.

The ride lasted about a minute and it seemed Alex's usual luck was with him, as no one else got on. The doors opened up to a small area with a glass wall and double doors that went into an office area filled with desks and a few bookcases, an upper level held a few offices that also contained glass walls. The small area Alex was in now had a light blue back wall with large silver letters reading 'Bureau of Investigation'. The whole floor was dimly lit with only a few lights having been left on for the janitors and late night workers. Alex quickly stepped into a hall on the other side of the small lobby like area that led to what Alex could only guess was more offices.

The man that Alex had seen was in one of the upper offices, the wooden door had been left open giving Alex the opportunity he needed. Rat-pack man talked with an older man who sat behind the desk, giving away his position of authority over the younger man.

Suddenly, the younger man got up and walked out of the office, a smirk on his face. The older man quickly followed, leaning out the door to yell "Don't do anything illegal Neal!" However, it was hopeless, Neal, as he had been called, had gotten in the elevator smirk still in place.

Alex knew that smirk. He had seen it on a few of the people he had met since joining MI6. It was the common, confident, conman smile. But why would a conman be working in a federal building?

_'You can figure that out later, Rider. Right now you need to figure out what they have to do with William Marks.'_ Alex shook his head, clearing any thoughts that would lead him off track.

An idea suddenly came to mind, it was a risk as this was obviously an official building and he could get in a ton of trouble, but he could not chance saying he was from MI6. That would blow the little cover he had left, not to mention it could start an international incident. But he didn't see what other choices he had.

Pulling out the gun he had took from one of his pursers earlier, Alex quietly sneaked through the office, quickly darting up the stairs and jumped into the closest open door he could find. Thankfully, no one was there, most likely getting coffee or maybe had just forgotten to lock the door before leaving. Alex waited a couple minutes before sneaking across the hallway and quietly entering the room.

The man had his back turned and was facing the windows that looked out at the city glittering city. A sigh was the only warning that he was turning back around and Alex was prepared. The gun was held up, stead in the teenagers hands, pointed right in between his eyes. The man froze as the gun came into sight, watching Alex with a mixture of surprise and confusion.

"What do you know about William Marks?"

**A/N:**** I think this is the first Alex Rider/White Collar crossover. I'm not sure considering I haven't been on in AGES! But yeah, I've had this written on a piece of paper for, I don't know how long, but I have finally gotten so bored that I have decided to actually type it up! So here is the first chapter of my first crossover!**

**I probably won't be updating anytime soon, but I will continue this story once I finish my current Alex Rider and a few quick Big Time Rush stories I have going. So if you like this story please add it to you alerts because I will be continuing I just don't know when. Like I said other stories and school has gotten harder since last year...that and I have no internet make it hard to update so yeah!**

**One more time just to make sure...I WILL BE CONTINUING THIS! Just not soon!**

**Please Review! :)**

_**Edit: Holy crap it's been a long time since I've read my own work. Not a good thing. So since I'm stuck in what seems a permanent writers block for this story I have decided to go back and edit said story. Lots of problems in this one, I think it may have just loaded of the webs weird. Anyways, my writing it horrible, but you all seem to enjoy it anyways, at least I hope you do. **_

_**Okay, I'm off to try and figure out what to do with the rest of this sad little story. **_

_**BYE!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Chapter 2**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own White Collar or Alex Rider.**

Peter turned away from the window, only to find a gun pointed at his head. He slowly raised his hands, trying to show the person before him that he would not hurt him and that he was unarmed.

He was surprised to see that said person behind the gun was only a boy, who looked to be no older then eighteen. Shaggy fair hair fell into dark brown eyes, eyes that were blank, showing no emotion, the eyes one would see on someone who had given up everything they had ever loved and had nothing left. Right now those eyes were staring at Peter, waiting for an answer to his question.

He waited to see how the boy reacted to not having his order followed, wondering if he could aggravate the boy till he made a mistake.

"I will ask once more. What do you know about William Marks?" his voice held no emotion, he didn't seem irritated at all, if anything he just sounded tired, like he wanted this done and over with.

Peter finally decided to answer with a nonchalant, "Not much."

"Who was that man that just walked out? I overheard him talking about William Marks on a phone call." his voice stayed calm as he asked his question, it was almost like he was asking about the weather. Almost.

"That was my consultant. William Marks is connected with the case we are currently working. Why don't you put down the gun?" Peter guessed it would be a futile offer, but he gave it a try anyways.

"No thanks. What case?" the boy was straight to the point, obviously wanting answers and then wanting to get out.

"Well that I can't tell you. The only thing I can really tell you is that it's about a recent robbery, but don't bother looking for it in the papers." The owner of the museum hadn't wanted it released that one of their most prized paintings had been stolen. Especially after they had just installed a new security system, too afraid of being thought of as failures and so it had been kept on the down low.

"You mean the robbery at that high class, expensive, museum just few blocks away?"

"How did you know about that?" They hadn't told anyone. Peter hadn't even told El about it! There was no way this young boy could know about it.

"That's..." He suddenly stopped and turned his body so he could just see out the windows into the lower part of the office and watch as Neal casually walked off the elevator. "I think this meeting is over." the boy looked at Peter and he could have sworn he saw a hint of sympathy in his eyes before a sharp pain erupted in his skull and everything went dark.

-Line Break-

He didn't really want to knock the man out, but he didn't have much of a choice. The moment he turned around the man would have tackled him and he needed to get out of the building before the other man, Neal, saw him. Easy enough right?

Alex carefully left the office, closing the door softly behind him and stayed close to the ground. He looked out across the floor, but Neal was nowhere to be seen.

Alex inched his way down the stairs, darting behind the nearest desk, staying hidden as he looked out across the floor once more, but there was no sign of Neal. Alex couldn't help but feel unnerved. He was certain he had seen him getting off the elevator and he couldn't think of why he would go anywhere but to the other man's office.

Slowly Alex moved up the aisle, keeping his eyes and ears open for movement and sound. Finally making it to the doors, he carefully looked around the small area between him and the elevator as he quietly opened the doors and made his way to the elevators, keeping his eyes and ears open at all times.

He pressed the ground button, the elevator making a small ding as it arrived. He backed into it keeping his eyes on the small room, still looking for any sign that Neal was there.

Only when it was too late did Alex realize that the only other place he could be. He felt pain blossom in his skull as a familiar darkness enveloped him.

-Line break-

Waking up Alex felt the oncoming headache at once. He took in his surroundings using his other senses, not wanting to open his eyes in case he was being watched. There are many thing you can learn by just pretending to still be asleep or unconscious.

The cold smooth metal that wrapped around his wrist indicated a handcuff, what it was attached to was a mystery, but it was probably something bolted to the floor or otherwise hard to move. He was slouched in an uncomfortable chair and he heard the hushed voices of the man he had confronted in the office and Neal. He was guessing it was still late at night as there was only the sound of a vacuum coming from the office below. The soft click of a door closing alerted him that someone had joined the little party. A soft gasp that was probably due to his 'unconscious' form, told him that the new arrival was female.

"Peter, what did you do to him?" the female voice sounded harsh and accusing.

"What did I do? Neal's the one that knocked him over the heads. Besides, he pointed a gun at me and hit me upside the head. I was out cold before he left my office." The voice belonged to the man from the office, who Alex was beginning to believe was the Peter that Neal had talked to earlier. Now if only he could put a name to the female voice.

"But he's so young. Why would he have a gun? Where would he get a gun to begin with?" The woman was calm but there undertone of worry in her voice as she talked. The last time someone had worried about him was before Jack had…

No he wouldn't go there. Jack was gone, and there was no need to bring up the past. He needed to keep his head in the game, and figure out who the girl was before they realized he was awake.

"El, don't go and start caring for the boy. We don't know who he is. He could be working for someone for all we know." Peter sounded stern, like he was warning a child about the consciences of stealing from the cookie jar. El must have been the woman's name and Alex couldn't help but feel like he had just won something.

"She can't help it Peter, El's just kind hearted. Besides the kid looks like he's gotten in to more than enough trouble. Maybe he's just looking for a way out of it." Neal had finally said something and he spoke as if from experience, though it was probably nowhere near the same type as experience that Alex had.

Now was a better time than ever to let them realize he was awake. The conversation was getting nowhere and he needed to get out of there. He had a job to do; hopefully MI6 would give him a little rest time before sending him off again and he almost laughed at that thought. MI6 would let him rest as soon as pigs started flying.

Alex let his eyes flutter open and fully took in his surroundings. He was back in the office, the other side of the cuff was clasped around the desk, and his gun was safely on the other side of the room, out of his reach.

Neal was the first to see he was awake, cutting into El and Peters conversation with a gruff "He's awake." They all turned to him, the expressions ranging from angry, concerned, and curious.

Alex looked back, with an expression of boredom. After ten minutes of staring Alex gave a sigh, obviously he was going to have to break the silence. "Staring is quiet rude."

That pushed them to start talking. Peter asked the question that was always asked first, "Who are you?" It was rather boring and kind of sad how predictable that question was. Everyone, weather good or bad, asked that question.

Alex sighed, there was always a different answer, always a lie. "That's something you're going to have to find out by yourself, but I advise you not to try. The only thing you'll get is a headache." And it was true. Alex himself had tried to hack into the system and find himself on MI6 data base. After twelve hours all he had were a few sketchy details about some missions, a first name, and a headache.

"Why don't you just tell us?"

"One, I don't want to. Two, I can't. Three, if I tell you I might have to kill you." Alex was completely joking about the last part. He couldn't kill anyone, but telling them could get the killed. Anyone who knew him was in more danger then any single person should be.

"Okay, so what are you doing here?" Neal leaned against the wall, the desk lamp creating shadows on his face as he twirled his fedora around his finger. Though Alex couldn't help but notice that he looked a tad paler than before.

"Wonderful question Neal, yet one I cannot answer." They all looked surprised that Alex knew his name, though they tried hiding it. He loved the reaction he got whenever he did that, it was funny to watch as the astonished look passed over their faces, before they rushed to cover it up.

"How do you know my name?"

"That's a secret. I also know that you're Peter and your name is El, a happily married couple I believe." Alex hoped he had the last part right, they both had wedding bands on and they seemed to share that special connection that he saw between many husbands and wives. This was the only part of spying that Alex loved, surprising people with how much he knew, even if most of it was guessing. Alex found he had to take joy in the little things, like surprising people with information. He did his best to enjoy what he could about his life, but there was little left to enjoy.

El brushed the information off as she walked toward Alex. "Are you alright? Neal can have quiet an arm." She retched up to touch the bruise that was more than likely forming on Alex's head, but he flinched back. He hated being touched; all it did was bring back memories. That and generally whenever someone went to touch him it was more for harm than good.

She seemed to sense this and let her hand fall, instead observing the bruise from afar with a look of concern that only reminded Alex of a certain red-headed housekeeper.

"I'm fine. Why would you care?" His voice was laced with venom that had somehow slipped through. He instantly regretted it, but it was too late to take back. A look of surprise passed over El's face followed by sadness. Alex berated himself instantly. It was a stupid slip up, letting emotion show. While he might be fine here, it could get him killed. It was a rookie mistake and was something he would punish himself for later. For now he had other things to worry about.

Peter took a deep breath, calming his nerves and pushing away his anger before talking "Listen kid, we just want to help." He sounded tired, they all were. None of them really wanted to be there, Peter was sure they all just wanted to be home in bed. It was too late at night to be here, dealing with any of this.

"I'm beyond help." Alex said with a whisper and for the first time they saw emotion pass over Alex face, anger, sadness, and many more that just didn't belong on a child's face, before it was quickly covered back up with a blank mask.

**A/N:**** I know it's been a while and you'll have to forgive me. I have no idea where I'm going with this story. When I first started I did, but it seems to have disappeared with my sanity.**

**Another problem is that I have to write down every plot bunny that pops into my mind, so I'm constantly putting thing up, but I'm trying to keep my other plot bunnys to one-shots, so I can focus on my other stories.**

**Becoming Human is coming to an end so that will help free up some time, but I have bowling practice until five and games go until six so it's harder to update with that and homework getting in the way, but my iPod is helping to get me through. I write at least once a night before I go to bed, so yeah.**

**Once again I'm sorry, but if you could help me by giving me a plot or some idea to help get the story moving along, that would be great. So please leave that in a review, or PM me.**

**Thank you for waiting so long, I am truly sorry!**

_**Edit: How have you people endured this for so long. My writing is terrible. Even after editing. **_

_**Anyways, I think I've figured out where I'm going to go with this. I'm still not completely sure but I've got a few ideas. I apologize to every one for everything, but I thank those of you that have sticked with it. I'm thinking about doing something for everyone that has stayed with me at the end. Take requests or something. Not sure yet. I'll let you know on the last chapter that will happen eventually. I promise.**_

_**Just stay with me. I love all of you and hope you have a wonderful day. **_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Chapter 3

**Disclaimer****: I obviously do not own either Alex Rider nor White Collar.**

Neal looked down at the boy whom he had just knocked unconscious, before carefully picking the boy up and carrying him up to Peter's office. He gently laid him down on the floor before going over and shaking Peter awake. Neal didn't say a word as Peter slowly, but surely, came to. He was in too much shock at what he had just did. He couldn't believe he had just hit a child, but the boy had a gun, and he had knocked out Peter, which was an assault to a federal agent. The boy was going to be okay. Right? So then why did he suddenly feel sick? He rushed for the garbage can, as his dinner suddenly came back up. Peter was slow to get up but the sound of Neal's retching got him to wake fast than he would have.

After what felt like hours, Neal's stomach was empty and, after a few dry heaves, it finally stopped. He carefully leaned against Peter's desk and watched the boy. The small rise and fall of his chest reassuring the ex-con-man that he was not, in fact dead, and that he should be alright.

Realizing the severity of the situation, Peter was quick to jump into action. Grabbing his hand cuffs he picked the unusually light teenager up and placed him in the chair at his desk, hand cuffing him to the desk. He wanted to ask the kid a few questions before figuring out what to do with him. After patting the boy down and finding two knives and another gun hidden on his persons, he relaxed a little bit.

Peter tried to think of what to do next. Neal would do no good as he still seemed a bit put out about having hurt a child. He had no idea what to do himself. The shrill ringing of his phone made both Peter and Neal jump, pulling them both from their separate thoughts. Another shrill ring echoed through the silent office before Peter finally picked it up and answered.

"Burke." He answered without even looking at the caller id.

A female voice answered him, a small amount of worry hidden in his wife's voice. "Peter! Where are you?" Elizabeth was calm as she asked her husband the innocent question. She already knew he was probably still at the office, trying to catch up on the impossibly hard task of paper work, but she stilled like a call ahead to let her know he was staying late.

"I'm sorry El. I've got a bit of a problem at the office. Hey how heavy should a normal teenage boy be?" The question had popped out of his mouth before he could think about it. The boy had seen a little too light for Peter's liking.

"Umm…I'm not exactly sure. Why would that matter? Peter what happened? You sound…off." Elizabeth had always been able to tell when something was wrong with Peter, now was not an exception.

"Well, you see…" With a sigh, Peter rubbed his forehead the beginnings of a headache presenting itself. "It will be easier to show you. Think you could bring some Advil and whatever can help with a stomach ache or… shock." Peter knew Elizabeth was probably beyond curious and he had run out of Advil about two weeks ago when they had had a particularly hard case.

"Sure. I'll be there in a few minutes. Love you." That was one of the many reasons Peter loved El. She knew when to stop asking questions and to just jump into action.

Peter quickly hung up with a goodbye of his own before turning to his pale friend. "You okay?"

Neal looked up at him "Yeah," his voice was strained and sounded dry "I just can't believe I knocked out a kid. I mean I know he had a gun pointed at you, but I could have disarmed him or something instead of bashing him over the head. I may have seriously hurt him. What if I gave him a concussion? What if he never wakes up? Peter, I could have given him brain damage!" Neal was starting to freak out and Peter knew he had to calm him down before he started hyperventilating.

He made his way and slid down next to Neal, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "I'm sure he'll be fine, if he doesn't wake up in two hours then we'll take him to a hospital. El's on her way with some Advil and something to help you, because if you don't calm down you'll be going to a hospital as well." A stern look was directed Neal's way to help emphasis Peter's point. Neal nodded, resting his head in his hands, hopping to drive away his own oncoming headache.

Neal and Peter sat in silence as they waited for Elizabeth to get there. Every now and again Neal would look at the boy handcuffed in the chair, hoping he hadn't done any lasting damage. It was around the fifth time that he noticed something off about the teenager.

Besides the fact that he seemed to skinny for his age, he also had multiple scars running along his arms. Slowly, he got up and walked over to the boy. His blonde hair was filthy and his skin and clothes were no better. Looking closely at the boy without actually touching him Neal noticed many more scars, even some open wounds. One large gash was actually still sluggishly bleeding.

"Hey Peter. Come look at this." Peter stopped his pacing and came over to stand by his CI. "Look at all the scars. He's got plenty of cuts and bruises."

Peter squinted, looking closely at the child in front of him. He could be no older than seventeen, and yet, when the kid had looked at him his had eyes look as if they belonged to a war veteran that had seen more deaths than any of his fellow comrades, maybe even the deaths of said comrades.

"Something's going on with this boy. From the looks of it he had, or has, an abusive home life." Peter voiced his opinion and Neal nodded along as he talked, agreeing with every word that was said.

"Wonder where he's from?" Neal was always the one to ask the personal questions, but then something jumped to the front of Peter's mind.

"He talked with a British accent. But what is an English boy doing in New York City, breaking into federal buildings?" Everything about this boy raised questions, every time they figured something out, two more questions would take the place of the original question. It only made Peter's headache worse. He hoped El go their soon, he could really use some Advil.

His prays were answered as the doors to the offices below opened, and El came rushed in with three bags in her hands. She carefully made her way up the stairs and joined her two boys in Peter's office. They looked at her questioningly as she set the bags on Peter's desk. Their unasked questions were answered as she pulled out a new bottle of Advil along with two bottles of water. She opened the Advil, setting it on the desk, and gave both men a bottle of water. "There are granola bars, chip and dip, and some apples in there. Thought you two would be hungry."

"El, have I ever told you that you are an angel." Neal placed a kiss on Elizabeth's cheek before swallowing two pills of Advil and downing half the bottle of water.

She gave a soft smile as she turned to close the door with a soft click making the sounds of the vacuum below almost completely disappear. Turning around once again she finally noticed the boy slouched unconscious in Peter's chair.

"Peter what did you do to him?" The boy looked absolutely horrible.

"What did I do? Neal's the one that knocked him over the heads. Besides, he pointed a gun at me and hit me upside the head. I was out cold before he left my office." Peter seemed a bit shock at his wife's accusation, but had quickly pointed the blame at Neal, hopping to get the young man to come out of his shock.

"But he's so young. Why would he have a gun? Where would he get a gun to begin with?" El would always worry about children. She wasn't a mother herself, but she would always be mother hen when it came to her boys, and any child she laid eyes on.

"El, don't go and start caring for the boy. We don't know who he is. He could be working for someone for all we know." Peter didn't want his wife to get attached to the boy, he had seen it happen before, and it had ended in tears. As soon as they found out who he was they were going to have to send him back to his family, or to a foster family, there was also the high possibility that the kid was going the have to go to jail. He had broken into a federal building and assaulted a federal agent.

"She can't help it Peter, El's just kind hearted. Besides the kid looks like he's gotten in to more than enough trouble. Maybe he's just looking for a way out of it." Neal finally found his voice and even though he still seemed a little pale, some colour had come back to his face. His expression matched that of Elizabeth's, a look of concern for the unknown child. Peter knew he spoke from experience. Neal had been in all sorts of trouble before Peter had caught him. To this day he still found ways to get into trouble, his past always seeming to pop out of nowhere. Things were slowly starting to calm down and Neal was slowly setting himself straight, with the help of Peter and Elizabeth.

El and Peter continued to talk about the boy, what could possibly be going on with the mysterious child that had come out of nowhere. Neal continued to watch the boy, taking in everything about him, even in the darkness, known as unconsciousness, he seemed to be on guard.

Suddenly the boy's eyes fluttered opened and Neal watched as he quickly took in his surrounding, only to find Neal staring at him. With a quick "He's awake" Peter and Elizabeth' conversation came to a halt. Peter seemed to become angry, as Elizabeth's concern showed through, and Neal was more curious than anything, everything about this boy raised questions. The boy only looked back at them with complete boredom.

They looked at each other for what felt like hours before the blond sighed. "Staring is quiet rude." His voice filled up the space, shattering the silence, making all three of them jump.

Peter jumped at the chance to ask the question they were all dying to know, "Who are you?" It was the standard question, something anyone would ask a stranger, especially a stranger that had decided to break into a federal agent's office. The boys sighed at the question, obviously having heard it multiple times in his life. The answer the boy gave was as vague as it got.

"That's something you're going to have to find out by yourself, but I advise you not to try. The only thing you'll get is a headache." Neal knew that he probably wasn't lying about getting a headache, but knew they were going to try anyways. Besides, Mozzie knew some pretty good people underground that could get into anything.

Peter didn't give up that easily though "Why don't you just tell us?"

The boy rolled his eyes as if it was a stupid question and even though Peter was using his bad cop attitude the boy didn't seem to be fazed.

"One, I don't want to. Two, I can't. Three, if I tell you I might have to kill you." Neal thought he was joking with the last part but his face stayed completely straight. Worrying Neal that there was the slight chance that he was serious. Just another question to add to the pile.

Neal decided to step up to the plate, throwing a question of his own at the boy, "Okay, so what are you doing here?" Neal leaned against the wall, he was completely beat and was getting tired of these games real fast. He twirled his fedora around his finger, hoping to keep himself awake with some kind of movement.

"Wonderful question Neal, yet one I cannot answer." The fedora came to a halt as Neal was overtaken with surprise. He was better than the others at regaining his composer though, as he continued with his early movements..

"How do you know my name?" He stared at the boy who became more mysterious with every word that came from his mouth.

"That's a secret. I also know your Peter and your El, a happily married couple I believe." Peter and Elizabeth looked at each other before brushing off the information. Elizabeth slowly walked up to the boy, trying to show she was not a threat, the look of concern the only thing on her face and the only thing on her mind.

"Are you alright? Neal can have quiet an arm." She reached an arm out to touch the bruise that was slowly forming on his head, but the boy flinched away from her hand and El quickly dropped her hand, putting the pieces together. Instead she opted to look at the bruise from her spot beside him.

"I'm fine. Why would you care?" The boy spit the words out, venom finding its way into his voice. Neal and Peter both noticed how El seemed a little hurt by the boys comment but watched as she brushed it off and backed away, a look of sadness on her face, sadness for the boy. They were all surprised at the intensity of the emotion in the words.

Peter took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose, keeping his eyes closed, trying to calm his nerves and pushing down the rising anger before speaking "Listen kid, we just want to help." Peter knew he sounded tired, but then again they were all tired. It was about twelve at night and they should all be in a nice warm bed right about now. Really they all just wanted to go home.

They all watched as an unreadable emotion passed over the boy's face as he whispered, "I'm beyond help." It was said more to himself, and they knew that he probably hadn't meant to say it so loud. So many emotions passed over his face, sadness, anger, so many emotions, that they weren't able to separate them from each other.

The mood mellowed out, and the office became quiet once more.

"Here" They all looked up to see Neal holding out an extra bottle of water and a granola bar. The boy looked up, a hit of suspicion as he gazed at Neal. "I promise it's not poisoned." He joked, but as the boy continued to look at him with growing suspicion Neal realized they boy probably believed that it was. He unscrewed the cap and took a sip, showing the boy it wasn't poisoned, the granola bar was still wrapped up so it would have been hard to have poisoned that.

Knowing it wasn't poisoned the boy quickly took the water from his hands and drank almost half of it before unwrapping the granola bar and biting into it. It was more than obvious he was hungry and hadn't eaten in a while. Based on how skinny he was he probably didn't eat very well.

Neal backed away as the boy continued to eat, watching him. What in heaven's name had this boy gotten caught up in? There was no way to tell, they didn't even have a name. Speaking of which….

"What are we supposed to call you? You don't have to give up your real name, but just something besides 'boy' would be nice." Neal's voice was soft as he spoke to the boy, wanting to show him he was friend, not foe.

"Well…" The boy thought about it as he finished off his granola bar "You can call me," He paused as he thought about it for a minute before his face lit up obviously coming up with something. "You can call me Cub."

Neal gave a small smile, as the boy finished off his bottle of water and threw it into the recycling bin all the way across the room. "Well Cub, we can't exactly let you go, you know that right?" Peter raised an eyebrow as the question lingered in the air.

"Then what are you going to do with me? Try and take me to the cops? I will get it out, don't ask how but I will. You can't exactly just leave me handcuffed here until morning. People will be suspicious, when they come in tomorrow and see a teenage boy handcuffed to your desk." Cub had really thought this through and Peter suddenly found himself with no idea what to do with Cub.

"You could always get him an anklet too." Neal laughed at his own joke while Cub just looked at him with curiosity before Neal pulled up pant leg to revel the anklet that was strapped securely around his ankle. "No way to take it off, without sending out an alarm. Water proof so I can bathe, I have to go to sleep with it on too. The best part is that I only have a two mile radius, but it's better than being stuck in jail." He let his pant leg fall back over the anklet, concealing it once more.

Peter looked at Neal. "Not a bad idea, but people would wonder who it's for and it would take almost a week for it to get here."

"Or you could just let me go and pretend this never happened." Cub gave a smile knowing they wouldn't go for it, but it was worth a shot. Sometimes his luck came through in weird ways.

"We would sweetie, but something's going on and you know something about a case that no one should know about, I didn't even know about it until just two minutes ago. That and you look like you've been abused, that's something that I'll have checked into after this is over." El looked at him with concern, coming closer to him, but keeping her distance so she didn't scare him again.

Alex hung his head knowing defeat. "Okay I swear to you guys that I will not run away, just take me somewhere with a bed so I can sleep. Please." All he really wanted was some sleep he was so tired from running for almost a month and he was serious about not running. He just wanted to take a nice warm shower, have a cup of tea, and fall sleep in a real bed, not some blankets strewn on the floor of a cell. Even though he had been in New York for only a month he hadn't been able to sleep in a bed for almost seven month. This was his third mission in a row and he hadn't been able to go home at all, not that he wanted go back to the house filled with memories of someone he held dear. Every time he started thinking about her it just lead to more memories.

They assaulted his mind, Jack standing at the stove, scolding Alex as he ran through the house. Jack sitting on the couch as he opened presents on his birthday. The smell of Jack's ten minute dinner, filling the house. Jack driving him to school whenever he was late. Fixing his cuts and kissing bruises when he was a kid and had fallen off his bike.

Helping with his injuries after missions. Scolding him and Tom when they broke a vase in the house. Snowball fights, special breakfasts. They just kept coming and he could stop them. It was taking over his life. Whenever he found any type of free time, or things slowed during a mission (waiting to be tortured, or hiding away, waiting for escape) he found himself thinking of her. Her fiery red hair and the kind face that always held a smile. That's why he had been willing to take every mission thrown at him, even going as far to ask for some. He didn't mind being dragged out of the hospital early. The pain from previous wounds kept him from thinking of her.

Now he was stuck in this office and the memories were assaulting him once again. His didn't notice as the three other occupants of the room stopped talking to turn and look at him, he didn't notice as El came closer trying to bring him back to Earth. Neal came up on his other side, becoming concerned when he didn't even notice El touching his shoulder, his eyes glazing over. He finally came out of his revere when a tear rolled down his cheek. The wetness it left behind snapping him out of his thoughts and he quickly wiped it away.

"Honey, what's the matter?" Elizabeth's big brown eyes only showed concern for Alex and even though she looked nothing like Jack, she reminded Alex so much of her. She was so caring, even though she didn't even know Alex.

He quickly regained his composer "Nothing. Did out guys find arrangements?"

"Yeah, you're coming home with me." Neal stepped forward "I'm trusting you won't run. You're going to be staying in the basement. No windows to get out through and I'll be locking you down there. Don't worry it's not some nasty basement, it's nicely furbished. You'll have a bathroom all to yourself. There's even a T.V. Peter and El are going to get you some clothes for tonight and tomorrow." Neal answered quickly, knowing the boy didn't want to have some emotional chat with people he didn't even know.

Alex nodded "Alright Cub. Let's go, were all tired, it's not too far from here, but Neal's going to have to explain to June who you are, and what's going on." Peter un-cuffed Alex from the desk and cuffed him to Neal, who looked startled at the fact he had a handcuff on, before he realized what it was and relaxed once more.

Then they headed out to the cars. Peter drove off to get clothes while Elizabeth took Neal and Alex to Junes. They had a bit of explaining to do.

**A/N: I hope it was good! But with bowling I only have a few more matches. The team had sectionals, then I'm heading off to state qualifiers. So that's all we got, but wish me luck at states because I'm quite scared. But my writing should pick up. I still don't have internet, but I'll be able to go to the library now. So yeah.**

**Any reviews will be greatly appreciated and I am thankful for those of you who have reviewed, favorite, and/or followed me. I will not be leaving this story…I promise.**

_**Edit: Another chapter revised. I'm slowly getting there. I have to completely reread this story to figure out what I've done with. I remember when I first had this idea. I knew exactly where I wanted to go, now look at me. **_

_**WHAT HAVE I BECOME?! Anyways, sorry it's taking so long. I'll get to new chapters here in a little while, just give me some time. **_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer****: I do not own either of these. Good thing to otherwise they would get nowhere. **

Alex almost fell asleep on the ride home. He had been running from danger for several months and the only time he had gotten any sleep was when he had been captured and placed in a cell. There were a few light naps on the street, but they never did much. The soft vibrations from the running engine and the cool window against his head calmed him.

As promised the house wasn't far and Alex was soon sliding out of the car with Neal right behind him. The house was huge and the inside only seemed bigger. Elizabeth led the way in with Neal and Alex right behind her.

June was at the door within thirty second, Mozzie scuttling in right behind her. "Oh Neal honey, I was starting to get worried." She gave Neal a tight hug before turning to Elizabeth with a hello and a hug as well.

"And who's this kid?" Asked Mozzie as June and El talked. The question caused June to turn back and her eyes finally landed on the teenager handcuffed to Neal.

"This is Cub." Neal introduced with a smile, while Alex stared at Mozzie, who just stared right back at him.

"Weird name." Mozzie commented as they continued staring at each other, as if was a match, neither one willing to back down to the other.

"Weird life." Alex replied which earned him a small eye squint before Mozzie finally gave up and looked away from Alex's cold eyes.

"June, we were wondering if he could stay in the basement. He kind of broke into Peter's office and asked about the current case, which no one should know a thing about. We can't take him to the police; says he'll be able to get out. Then we remembered your basement. He says he won't run, but you know how paranoid Peter is." Neal casually explained the predicament, ending with a shrug of his shoulders, as if it was no big deal.

"Of course you can use the basement. Just make sure the bed is made before leaving the poor dear down there." June seemed to be just as kind as Elizabeth when it came to children, even if said child had hit a federal agent up-side the head with a gun.

"Alright. I'll take him down; let me know when Peter gets here." Neal then proceeded to lead Alex through the rather large house until they came to a door with two, rather thick, locks on it.

When they finally reached the bottom of the stairs Neal took of the handcuff, letting Alex lose to roam around the apartment like area. Just like promised there was a bathroom with a rather nice looking shower that Alex couldn't wait to use. A small kitchenette was in the corner of the room and after rummaging around Alex finally found some tea bags. The bed was already made up and was bigger than any other bed Alex had ever seen, let alone used, half of it covered in big soft looking pillows.

"I'm holding you to your promise, you know." Neal stated as he watched Alex look around the area.

"Neal, take a good look at me. Does it look like I really want to run? How about, does it really look like I _could_?" Alex deadpanned as he gave Neal a look that said 'really?'

Neal did as Alex suggested, and looked the boy up and down, taking in all the little details. He looked tired if the dark bags under his eyes were anything to go by. And now that he looked closer he noticed a small limp in Cub's step, one that people wouldn't notice unless they were looking for it, the same as the cuts and bruises that littered the boy's body. There was a tiredness that radiated from the boy, not just a physical exhaustion, but a mental one as well.

"You do a very good job at hiding it." Neal commented as Alex turned away to make himself a cup of tea.

"Because it's my job. If I wasn't good at it, well let's just say there would be…complications. Many, lethal complications." The boy chuckled as if he had just said something funny, as he poured hot water on top of a tea bag, which sat inside a large mug, stirring in some milk and sugar before taking a sip.

The face he made was one of pure happiness and pleasure. A small moan escaped his lips as the warm tea traveled down his throat. He hadn't had a cup of tea in months and even though this wasn't the best one he had ever had, it was pretty close after how long he had gone without it.

"Cub, I have a question." Neal stated, pulling Alex out of his thoughts about the wonders of tea.

"I can't promise that I can answer, but shoot." Once again a smirk appeared on the boy's face as if he had said something funny, some little inside joke.

"Well I know you won't tell us who you are or anything like that, but…why exactly are you here," He held up his hand to stop Alex from interrupting. "I don't mean 'job' wise. I mean why are in this position. It's obvious to me that there is something wrong with you. You don't act the way a normal teenager does and you're being so cryptic. What happened, or is happening, to you?" Neal looked genuinely concerned as the smirk fell from the teenagers face and he became serious.

"That's one of the many things I can't tell, but trust me; I can act like a normal teenager if I want. But that's all it truly is, an act. I've been through things you don't want to dream of Neal, things I will never tell you, but be assured that I can handle myself." Alex gave Neal a small smile before turning away to sip at his tea. Peter's footsteps were heard coming down stair only a second later.

All though Alex had 'assured' him that he could 'take care of himself' Neal found himself more worried than before. Whatever happened to this kid was clearly still happening and it was not good.

That was when Neal swore that no matter what happened he was going to learn all he could about this kid. He would try his hardest to be-friend him and he would try his hardest to help him. He felt the need to try and save the kid before anything worse could happen, before he was beyond saving.

The thing Neal didn't know was that Alex was so close to that point that he had already begun to think he was beyond being saved.

Everyone left soon after Cub was locked in the basement. Peter and Elizabeth had both given June a hug before heading home. Peter had warned Mozzie not to tamper with the basement door and to leave the kid alone, before telling Neal to call him immediately if anything happened. When Neal had finally settled into bed he was beat. Mozzie had decided to stick around, wanting to be there if anything happened during what was left of the night.

By the time Neal had finally drifted off to sleep it was almost two in the morning, his mind so exhausted that he dreamed no dreams that night.

While everyone else had headed home and gone to bed sometime at two in the morning, Alex was left locked in the basement. Peter had stopped at the nearest Salvation Army and had bought Alex some clothes which currently sat on the sofa, still in the bag.

He had poured himself another cup of tea before heading into the bathroom, bag of clothes in hand.

The shower stall was bigger than anything he had seen in his life and right next to it was a huge bath tub. It was tempting to Alex, but eventually he had pushed the thoughts of a luxurious, relaxing bath away had stepping into the shower.

He felt his muscles relax as the hot water hit his back. It was turned as high as it would go as he scrubbed away the dirt and grime that had been gathering on him since last month. He scrubbed his body almost three times before he felt clean enough. Even after he was fully clean Alex sat under the hot water, letting it warm and relax him. He stayed there until the water turned cold.

The clothes Peter had brought were just a tad too big, but they fit well enough and Alex wasn't about to complain about having soft, clean clothes to wear to an actual bed. A bed which was bigger than any other bed Alex had seen in his life. With more pillows than he though was necessary and the softest blankets he ever felt, he sank deep under the covers, reveling in the warmth and comfort it all brought.

The last thought that ran through his mind before falling into the dark abyss of sleep, instead of unconsciousness for a change, was 'I could get use to this.' A thought he wouldn't remember in the morning when he woke from the first dreamless sleep he had had in a long, long time.

The next morning brought sunshine and a clear sky. The sun was just peaking up from the horizon as Neal woke up with the alarm clock loudly buzzing in his ear and Mozzie sitting at the table nursing a glass of wine.

"Little early for that isn't it?" Neal as with a nod toward the glass as his hand came down on the snooze button, before dragging himself out from under the blankets. Last night had been too long and he wanted to sleep all day, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. They had a potentially dangerous teenage boy locking in the basement, who knew about a top secret case and held more secrets than the government. It was a wonder that Neal could sleep when he had a giant puzzle right under him, just waiting to be solved.

"It shall never be too early for fine wine." The red liquid spilled from the bottle into the cup before being transferred to Mozzie's mouth. Neal opted instead for a cup of Orange juice, savoring the acidic taste as he drank from the carton.

"Whatever you say Moz. It's seven in the morning, what are you doing here?" Neal shuffled over to the table, dropping into the chair across from Mozzie as he continued to sip from the orange juice.

"I've done some digging into the boy." Mozzie was as straight forward as usual. "I went to some of my 'other' contacts," by 'other' contacts Mozzie meant contacts that Neal hated. They were ruthless people and Neal still had no idea why Mozzie ever would want to have contact with them, "asked about a teenage boy who had scars all over, shaggy blonde hair, British, and may or may not go by the name of Cub."

"What did you find?" He had to admit, his interest was piqued.

Only to have it come shattering down around him "Nothing. Absolutely nothing. It's weird though because there are always things going around and people contacting one another through others, you would think a kid like that would somehow be known in our world."

"So we still have no idea who this kid is. Can't you like hack into the governments data base? Search Cub? This kids nickname has to be connected to him somehow." Neal was so tired of hitting dead ends.

"Already did, got nothing. So I went worldwide. Hacked into England's data base. Really something I should have done first. Considering the kid's got an English accent, you would think that would be the place I search first, but no. Instead I…." Mozzie could have gone on forever rambling on about it if Neal had not interrupted.

"MOZ! To the point please."

"Oh, yes. Anyways, instead of just getting a 'no entries found' thing, I got a 'classified' thing. There is this whole section dedicated to an 'Operation Rider'. Sadly I couldn't decrypt anything or read through it, it would have caused alarms to go off, but there was a picture of the boy in the file. Everything else was encrypted or in code. All I really know is that he is somehow affiliated with the British government, MI6 to be exact. He also has something to do with that Operation Rider." Mozzie took another sip of wine as he watched Neal process all the information Mozzie had just given him.

"Alright. Thanks Moz. I'm going to let Peter know." Neal rolled his eyes as Mozzie heaved a sigh.

"I swear you and the suit are going to be inseparable soon." Mozzie was soon finished with his wine and after placing the glass in the sink he headed to the door. "I'm going to continue my research. I'll call you if I find anything else."

Neal absent mindedly nodded as Mozzie left, the door swinging shut behind him.

Once again Neal had only gained more questions thanks to the kid.

What was Operation Rider? What did Cub have to do with it? And how did he get involved with MI6?

Alex woke surrounded by warmth and softness. Something he was not use to, and at first caused slight alarm. He forced himself to stay calm as the events of yesterday slowly came back to him. After a few more minutes he forced himself from the bed with a sigh. Once again he was being held prisoner. Of course he couldn't really complain seeing as this time round he had a bathroom, bed, and kitchen all in one. All in all it was one of the best cells he had had so far.

Also he had agreed to being prisoner.

He quickly went to the bathroom before making himself another cup of tea. He leaned against the counter as he listened to the movement from upstairs.

The house he was staying in obviously belonged to the kind lady, June was her name. He heard her laugh coming from just about the same place the muffled voices of a radio (radio, not TV . There was too much static to be a television.) Another man's voice came from the same area, the same voice that belonged to the strange man from last night. The footsteps coming across the floor toward the door that came down to where Alex currently sat must have belonged to Neal. They had the same pace and gait as Neal.

The sound of the door creaking open did not surprise Alex as he stared indifferently at Neal's form making its way down the stairs. He stopped short when he noticed that Alex was already awake, before stating the obvious, "You're awake?" Well, questioning the obvious anyways.

"Yeah. What's the big deal?" Alex replied as he brought the cup to his lips, taking a sip after he finished talking.

"I thought teenagers slept late. I know I did. I hated getting out of bed. Come to think of it, I still do." Neal came around to stand in front of Alex, whose poker face was still perfectly in place.

Alex turned away without an answer, the small smile that had slipped onto Neal's face falling off. "I've learned that sleeping in is not always a good thing and I don't make it a habit to do so often."

A loud crash and the yelling of voice from upstairs shattered the peaceful morning, causing both Alex and Neal to look up before both raced toward the stairs. Neal didn't say anything as Alex followed behind him.

The sight that greeted Neal was horrendous and he felt his stomach turn. Mozzie had a trickle of blood coming from his head as he stood in front of June who sat on the ground staring defiantly up at the men in front of her.

"Where is Rider?"

~End Chapter~

_**Edit: Well, another chapter down. Bear with me for just a little while longer and I'm sure I'll have this done in no time. For those rereading. I LOVE YOU! AND I APOLOGIZE! I feel like I'm making the story a bit smoother, at least the writing, with the editing I've done. So thank you for taking time to reread. **_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer****: I do not own, you should know this by now. **

"Where is Rider?"

The man in front of Neal was huge, every movement he made caused his muscles to bulge. He was bald and a scar cut down his right arm. The gun he held pointed at Mozzie's head did not waver in the slightest.

"I don't…." Neal was just about to finish his sentence consisting of an 'I don't know who that is' when Cub stepped in front of him.

Alex knew what he was doing. Giving away at least part of his identity to Neal, but it was either that or the man being held hostage got his head blown off. Alex had seen them do it before. They were ruthless and that's one of the things that made these people so dangerous, and why Alex was going to take them down if it was the last thing he did.

"Right here, now let them go." Alex stood straight, his head held high. He didn't even flinch when the gun was suddenly trained on him, having had so many pointed at him in his life made him more than a little immune to the scary factor they held.

"You know Rider, I don't think I want to. Do you know how much trouble you've caused by runnin'? Boss ain't to happy right now and he's willin' to do anything to get you back." A sickly smile spread across the man's face as he talked, making Neal's stomach do another backflip.

"Good. You do realize I'm against you right? I'm not supposed to make things easy. It wouldn't be any fun if I did." Alex smirked when the man growled but it didn't last long, the next thing the man said had him looking like he was going to puke.

"We got your friend. You know he's quite nice lookin'. I don't know if I told you, but I swing both ways. Boss says he might let me have a go at 'im." He laughed as Alex's face became more and more horrified as he continued to talk. "He's just as stubborn as you. Keeps askin' 'bout you too, wantin' to make sure you're okay. Gettin' quite annoyin' if you ask me."

"Leave him alone. It's me you want." Cub's face darkened as the man continued to smile, knowing well that he had hit a nerve.

"Well you ain't been there. We had to interrogate someone, you know."

"Take me then, just leave them all alone. Do whatever you want, just leave anyone else out of this." Cub's voice was hard, but Neal could have sworn he heard a small hint of pleading.

"You know, with all the runnin' you did, I think I need a compensation prize." The loud bang of a gun going off was the only warning Neal had before an intense pain rushed up him leg.

He fell to the floor as shouts of 'Neal' echoed all around him. Cub was by him in a matter of seconds, checking the injury and trying to stem the bleeding. Small curses were being whispered under his breath as he pushed down on the wound. Even if Alex knew that it hadn't hit anything major and that there wouldn't be any long term damage, he was still scared. If what the man had said was any indication, then they planned on taking Neal with them and the risk of infection would double while they sat in a cell. Not to mention the blood loss that was sure to affect him eventually.

As Alex looked over the wound the man started to talk again. "So here's how it's goin' to work Rider. You and 'im are goin' to come with me. I'll leave these two here as long as you come quietly. Help mister limp here out to the van and we're goin' t make our way back to the compound where you'll be punished. Nothin' worse will happen to 'im or the other one as long as you listen to orders."

Alex looked up, staring the man in the eye. "How about you leave him here and just take me. I'll tell you a few things you want to know. You can still punish me. Then when you're done having your fun, you can kill me as long as you let Ben go. I know that you know how much Scorpia would pay for my body." Neal almost blanched as Cub negotiated with the man, adding his life as if it was nothing.

The gun came down on the back of Alex's head, without warning. The darkness engulfed him quickly as he slumped down on the floor. "It wasn't up for negotiation Rider." The man growled as he swung the boy on his shoulder. He pointed the gun at Mozzie and June again. "Don't move. You there, get up and follow me. Don't try any funny business or they will both die."

Neal did as told, not willing to risk Mozzie and June's life. He was to hurt to do anything anyways and he followed the man out the large oak doors without a word. The van that sat outside was nondescript with nothing to make it stand out. The windows were tinted, but that was pretty common. The only thing that would help someone find it was the license plate.

The man threw Cub, non-to lightly, into the back and Neal was forced in next to him at gun point. In the passenger seat was another man who smiled as Cub's body landed with a heavy thud. Neal guessed he was there to keep them in check as the other drove.

The car started and turned away from the curb. The last of Neal's hope diminished as heard the traffic lessen, and the vans stopping and going happened less and less. He could only hope that the men wouldn't notice the tracker and that Peter would find them before anything could happen.

It seemed like almost a day before the van finally came to a haul. The windows were darker inside than they had seemed and Neal had no idea where they were. Cub had still not woken up and Neal was getting nervous. The door opened and Neal found himself being lead through a building at gun point. Cub being thrown carelessly over the scarred man's shoulder once again.

After a few twist and turns, that Neal tried to memorize, he found himself standing in front of a door. Scarred opened it, Cub still hanging over his shoulder as he struggled to unlock it. On the other side of the door was a hallway lined with cells. Most of them were empty, but at the end two were occupied.

Three men sat inside the one on the right, while there was only one man inside the one across from it. He stood watching anxiously as the men walked toward them, his hands wrapped around the bars, his knuckles whitening as his grip tightened when his eyes landed on the limp form of Cub.

Scarred pulled a gun from his waist band and pointed it at the man. With a gruff 'get outta the way' he unlocked the cell door and threw Cub in, the other one pushing Neal in soon after.

The door swung shut behind them and the lock clicked as the man moved toward Cub. He looked almost like Neal, about the same age. Though the man's hair was darker then Neal's and his eyes were just as blue if not older looking.

The man scanned Alex quickly, skimming over the cuts and bruises, before focusing on his head. He slapped Cub's cheek lightly whispering words that only they could hear. After a few more light taps, Alex's eyes slowly fluttered open. His gaze was unfocused, and he looked confused before finally seeing the man that sat in front of him. "Ben?" he muttered as if lost.

"Right here, buddy. How you feeling?" He looked more than relieved that Alex had woken up.

Neal slowly walked closer, looking at his eyes before finally finding what he wanted. "He's got a concussion." Before it had been as if Neal was invisible, but as soon as the words left his mouth all eyes were on him. "Umm… his pupils are different sizes." He stammered over an explanation as everyone stared, one man in particular looked like he would have ripped Neal's head off if he hadn't been in a different cell.

Alex slowly sat up, leaning against the man for support. "It's okay guys. He's friend, not foe." The men seemed to relax a little, but they were all still on guard. A short, but muscular man was the fiercest looking. His short hair left his eyes unhidden and Neal could clearly see the distrust in the dark brown orbs. "This is my... team…Wolf," he pointed at the man who had not stopped glaring at him, "Snake," he pointed to a thin, fair haired man who seemed to be trying to heal Cub with his eyes, "Eagle," The man was about the same height as Wolf with green eyes that were worriedly looking at Cub as he talked, "And Fox." The last man was the only one in the same cell as them. Cub had called him Ben earlier and he guessed that he knew all their real names, but wasn't willing to give them away. At least he seemed coherent enough to give fake names. "Guys this is Neal."

Neal was unsure of what to do and therefore just stood there, watching as Alex continued to talk. "I didn't know he had all of you. He just said he had Fox, not the rest of you."

"We were heading back to camp for some touch-up training. Our van got attacked and we ended up here. We knew you were missing but no one was letting us go help look. We had to make a deal that we would get a couple weeks of touch-up, and then they would send us over to try and find you." Wolf looked more than a little angry that they had gotten ambushed, but he also seemed to be relieved to know that Alex was alive.

"Hey at least we didn't have to do touch-up." Eagle said with a grin. He got a couple glares, but Alex smiled, thankful for Eagle's attempt to diffuse the tension.

"How long have you guys been here?" The smile slipped away as Alex thought of all the time they might have sat down here. Ben looked like crap and Alex knew that they had already tortured him, but the others seemed untouched.

"I've been here for about four days," Ben said, "They've been here for only two."

Alex let out a sigh, thankful that they hadn't been here for as long as he had thought. He let his eyes close and allowed himself to rest against Ben. His head was killing him and he could already feel a fever coming on, he was more than confident that it was from an oncoming infection. He might have been able to get a shower yesterday, but he had been stuck in a dirty cell for a long time before that, an infection had been bound to set in. Right now it wasn't that bad, but left alone for too long, and Alex would have more than just terrorist to deal with.

Ben let Alex sleep, knowing that is was something he didn't come by often. The bad guys would be back any time and he didn't know what they wanted. He brushed his finger through Alex's hair, still soft from the shower that he had taken last night, hoping that the movement will help keep the nightmares that Alex refused to admit too, at bay.

He was pulled from his thoughts by Neal, "So what exactly are we up against here?" He was currently sat by the cell door, keeping his leg extended as he examined the lock.

"William Marks. He's was a low level threat until a couple months ago. There's not much I can tell you." Somehow Neal knew it was because he couldn't or didn't want to tell him, instead of him just being uniformed.

"I know he's been stealing paintings from top class museums. What I don't know is what he does with them afterwards or why he even wants them in the first place. There is nothing connecting any of the paintings he had stolen or the museums he's stolen them from." Neal didn't look up as he started tinkering with the lock.

"How do you know that?" Fox was genuinely curious as he watched the man play around with the lock.

"I work for the FBI as a consultant. Any one got a pin or any other sharpish thing on them?" his concentration on the lock wasn't broken as Snake threw a plastic spoon over to him.

"It's the best we've got. They took everything off us when we came in. Didn't even give us forks when they brought us food." Snake's Scottish accent was clear as day as he explained himself after Neal had given him a curious look.

"Better than nothing." He mumbled to himself as he tried to twist the spoon to a somewhat sharper point. He stuck it into the lock but it got stuck. He yanked it out throwing it to the ground in frustration.

Then it hit him. He had had to use a safety pin to tighten his pants a bit this morning. Reaching behind him, he pulled the pin out and stuck it into the lock. A few seconds later the lock clicked open and a smile broke out across Neal's face.

"Wow, you weren't even in here for an hour before you broke out." Eagle looked excited, but the sound of footsteps killed the excitement faster than anyone knew was possible. Neal locked his cell, before putting the spoon in a hole in the wall in the corner of the cell where it would not be found if it wasn't being looked for.

The door at the end of the hall opened and Scar walked in, letting the door slam shut behind him. Alex jolted awake, pulling at the scab that had stated to form over the gash, causing it to bleed once again. He ignored the pain as he watched Scar come to a stop outside the cell.

"So Rider, feel like talking or are we going to have to make you?" Alex face was a clean slate, nothing giving away his feelings. He didn't answer the question only causing Scar to growl and storm out of the room, returning only a minute later with a few extra guards. The door was unlocked and Neal suddenly found himself being manhandled out of the cell along with Alex and Fox.

They were marched down a few hallways before Ben and Neal were thrown into a room with a mirror that Neal was sure was one-way. They could see as Cub was thrown into the room next door. The searching gaze Cub gave to the window only conformed Neal's thoughts.

He could only hope that June had called Peter and that he was on his way.

The call came at eight in the morning. June's voice was frantic and Peter was having a hard time understanding what she was saying. It took a good ten minutes to get her to calm down enough for Peter to understand her. Elizabeth was right by his side, straining to hear what was happening before Peter put the phone on speaker.

"June, I need you to take a deep breath, gather your thoughts, then tell me what is wrong." Peter's voice was stern but calm and he was answered with a silence only broken by the sound June taking a deep breath.

A few minutes later June's voice came across the line, fragile and broken. "Neal, he's gone. Some man came in earlier this morning. He was going to knock me out, but Mozzie jumped in front of me and got knocked in the head instead. But the man wanted someone named Rider. That boy you brought over last night stepped up and they took him. They used Neal as a hostage, they had shot in him the leg. He's gone Peter, they took him. They knocked that poor boy unconscious and dragged him out of the house with Neal. You got to find them Peter." Peter could hear the tears in June's voice as she finished explaining.

Peter was up and gathering his things as she finished, having started his bustling before she had even finished the first sentence. Whenever a sentence started with Neal it was never good, but this was worse than anything that had happened before. Elizabeth had gone pale as she followed him around, helping him when she could. She gave him a quick kiss and mouthed a 'be careful', knowing that he would keep her updated, before he was out the door, reassuring June that he would find Neal all the way to his car.

He just hoped they would hold strong till he got to them.

_**Edit: How do you guys put with m? All the inconstancies in that chapter made me want to punch myself. But as said before thank you to those of you loyal enough to stay with this mess called a story. Next chapter should be headed your way soon! : )**_


	6. Chapter 6

Peter was lucky that it was still too early for traffic. He raced to the office and made it there in record time. He stormed through the lobby, scaring the receptionist as he ignored the cheerful 'good morning' that he usually responded to. The elevator ride took longer than ever before, and when Peter finally got to the twenty-first floor it felt like hours had past.

He strode into the office with a purpose. Jones and Diana were automatically at his side, asking why their boss was in so early. Instead of answering he threw a quick look at Jones, "Pull up Caffrey's anklet. I want to know if it's still online. If it is I want to know where it's at. If not, I want the last known location." Jones nodded curtly quickly jumping on his computer, pulling up the wanted information.

"It's still online. He's currently at an abandoned home about three hours out of the city." Jones looked up at his boss, waiting for further instruction.

"Let's go. He's got a kid with him that looks like he's been through more than enough already." They were already striding out of the office as Peter pulled his cell phone out, requesting a swat team. Diana jumped behind the steering wheel and took off as Peter and Jones pulled on their seatbelts.

They headed down the streets at top speed, lights flashing the whole way. They were on a mission and there was no coming back until it was completed.

Alex was roughly pushed into a cold metal chair before being hand cuffed to the arm rests, his feet being cuffed to the feet of the chair. A window looked into the room where, Alex knew, Ben and Neal were being pushed into a chair just like Alex.

The door opened and a man that Alex had never seen before walked in. He was in a suit much like the one Neal was wearing. His silver hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, and he carried a dark oak cane with a golden handle. He walked with a confidence Alex hadn't seen any other bad guy walk with, his head was held high and he smiled as if he held all the secrets to the world.

"Hello, Alex Rider." His smile only grew bigger, if that was even possible.

"I'm sorry I didn't catch your name." Alex was not going to be intimidated by some rich guy, in a suit, that knew his name.

"How rude of me. I know your name, but you don't know mine. I am The William Marks, I know you've heard of me. Billionaire, art thief, and soon to be ruler of the world." He walked around Alex, examining him with small narrowed eyes.

"Okay, like I haven't heard of that one." Alex rolled his eyes. Why did every bad guy want to be the ruler of the world? Didn't they have other hobbies? What ever happened to rich guys collecting ships in bottles or golfing?

Marks smile appeared once more, threatening to split his face in half. "Now Mister Rider, I have some questions. If you don't answer or if I get an answer I don't like, one of you will end up hurt. This little mirror will keep you from discussing any false answers with your partner, Mister Daniels. Also said mirror is a one-way window. I know how you are, hate for others to see your walls break down, but also hate not knowing what is happening to those you are close to. Neal Caffrey over there is an innocent civilian that was dragged into this mess because of you. So I suggest answering correctly Mister Rider." With one more smirk the interrogation began.

Marks asked so many questions that Alex's head began to spin, trying to think of answers that would make the mad-man happy, but it seemed nothing could please the man. He could only imagine what was happening to Neal and Ben for each wrong answer. Alex knew they were both strong though, even if he had only known Neal for little over twelve hours.

After an hour Alex was getting desperate and he was sure Marks could tell.

"I'm telling you, I don't know!" He screamed, his imagination was running wild as he imagined the shape that Neal and Ben were in. "Stop this, please! I don't know! I swear to God, I do not know what you are talking about!" Alex was growing tired and he let his head drop as a sudden dizziness attacked him. Alex only saw a split second of the cane before it connected to his face. The taste of blood in his mouth was the only sign he had that his lip had split and was now pouring blood down his chin.

"Concentrate Rider!" He said as he crouched down in front of the boy, getting in his face. His calm and polite demeanor had disappeared and Alex could clearly see the mad-man that was caged inside. "Where did MI6 put the painting? I know you know." He spat.

"I already told you. I don't know. They don't tell me anything. I'm just a teenager that they can easily manipulate to do their bidding. I do not know what you are talking about." Alex stared stonily at Marks, hoping he could see the truth in the words. He really didn't know what he was talking about. Alex was told what was needed for him to complete a mission and that was it.

With a deep breath Marks stood from in front of Alex. Making a motion to the man in the corner, who quickly walked around Alex and left the room. Marks voice echoed through the rooms as he said the precious words "They can return to their cells now." Marks himself left Alex with those words, going to join the men in Ben and Neal's room.

Ben's head snapped up from where he had tried to hide his eyes from the vision of Alex being assaulted. Looking through the window he saw Alex being untied from his own chair. His chin connected with his chest as exhaustion swept over him.

As Ben and Neal were untied, the men finally discovered the anklet that had been on Neal the whole time. Marks seemed to know what it was at once and stormed out of the room, back to Alex. Alex's only warning was the opening of the door, before a smack across the face had Alex's head reeling as bright lights flashed in his vision. He didn't bring his head back up, letting it hang as Marks screamed through the intercom to get it off.

The anklet was cut, causing the light to flash red, before Neal and Ben were hauled off to the cells. Alex was left behind, head still reeling from the slap. Marks continued ranting as Alex tried to gather his wits, but he wasn't given enough time before Marks was upon him again. Screaming abuse that Alex couldn't hear clearly through the ringing in his ears, but he did feel the physical pain as Marks used him as his own personal punching back, taking out his frustrations and irritation.

His fit was cut short as lights began flashing and a loud blaring rang throughout the room. The guards that had left to return Neal and Ben to the cells came through the door and Marks cool demeanor was suddenly back as he began giving orders and directions on what to do. "Get the boy out, leave the rest, they're worthless anyways. All I need is the boy."

And just like that Alex found himself being lead out to a car with Marks right behind them. He felt pain explode in his head before that scarily familiar darkness once again engulfed him. His last thought, "I'm going to have some serious brain damage after this."

They meet the swat team there. They made it to the abandoned home in two hours, the Swat team arriving only a minute or two behind them. Peter quickly told them the plan and then they were moving out.

Men clad in bullet proof body suits walked ahead of them, their gun at the ready, but as soon as they opened the door, an alarm went off, echoing all around the house. They rushed through, everyone automatically splitting into teams.

A group of three men were found in the basement locked in a cell. Across from them was Neal looking bloody and beaten, next to him another man looked just as bad, if not worse, than Neal.

"Peter!" Neal gasped when he finally noticed the other man's prescience. The alarm continued to blare, deafening everyone. The other man looked up at Neal's sudden words. Peter almost winced at the obviously broken nose that still poured blood. Some of his fingers looked to be crooked as well, hinting that he either had broken fingers, or had broken fingers at some point in his life.

Another two minutes later and someone had finally shut off the alarm, and the men were freed from their prisons. The other man stood as the door opened, his back straight and his face serious as held out his hand to Peter. "Thank you. Ben Daniels, MI6. I need to know where Alex is."

Peter looked confused before a light bulb clicked on inside his head. "You mean Cub? Is that his real name?"

Ben nodded obviously not too worried about the fact the Alex had been keeping his name a secret as Peter radioed to ask about the boy.

"Peter Burke, by the way. FBI." Ben nodded shaking his hand once again as the radio cracked to life with a reply.

"We haven't found a boy anywhere."

Ben's expression didn't change, but Peter noticed the small amount of worry that showed in his eyes. The other three men that had been across from them showed their worry clearly.

"Did you check the rooms connected by the one-way mirror?" He asked hoping they hadn't gotten that far or hadn't been found.

"We checked it on our way down here. It's completely empty." Peter couldn't help but feel a little worried himself as he realized that the boy had completely disappeared.

One of the men that had been watching stepped forward as he continued examining Neal and Ben with his eyes. "We need to get them to a hospital." His Scottish accent was thick as he came up next to Ben to take a closer look at his nose.

"Not until we get Alex back."

"Not until we get Cub back."

Ben and Neal looked at each other as they said the same thing, giving each other a small smile.

Snake sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly annoyed, but use to the situation. "Your leg needs to be cleaned and stitched before you can do much of anything, sir, and your shoulder needs to be popped back into place." Neal slouched against Peter as the pain in his leg returned thanks to the reminder. He had almost forgotten about the bullet wound. "And _you_!" The man turned to Ben pointing a stern finger in his face as if he was a mother scolding her child. "Your fingers are getting taped together as soon as I'm done with him. Then I'm checking the damage done to your nose. No arguments." Ben nodded and couldn't help the small smile that appeared due to Snake's mother henning.

Peter supported Neal as they left the house, Ben leading the way. "So I know your name is Ben, but who are your friends?" The FBI agent in Peter couldn't help but question the man. That is it would be really helpfully to know who the other three strangers were.

"This is Wolf, Snake, and Eagle. Sorry but I can't really give you their real names, standard protocol and all. " Ben pointed around to each person as he named them off but did not stop walking.

When they finally reached the door the sunlight hit them at full force, causing many of the men to squint against its brightness after being locked in a dark cell for a while. Many vehicles sat outside the house, including a few ambulances, one of which Peter dragged Neal over to, much against his own will. Snake dragging Ben along in much the same fashion.

Neal sat back on the bumper as Snake checked him over, cleaning the wound before stitching and wrapping it up. Small gasps and winces came from Neal as Snake did his thing. After the bullet wound, Snake set to popping his shoulder back into place. A small gasp issued from Neal as Snake faked him out with a 'We'll count to three,' before popping it back after only saying 'one.'

Ben's fingers were tapped together by Wolf as Snake worked on Neal. When Neal was finished Snaked checked over Ben before deeming them both good enough to go look for Alex, although he pulled Peter aside as they started to walk away, telling him to keep a close eye on Neal and to make sure he didn't do anything to strenuous, not wanting to bullet wound to be pulled any further. Neal was going to have to go to the hospital as soon as this was all over.

The ride back to the FBI building consisted of lots planning as they exchanged all the information they had on Marks, in the hopes of figuring out what his next move would be. They knew they were in for a long night as they pulled into the parking garage two hours later with almost nothing to go on.

_**A/N:**_

_**Look a new chapter! See I can do some things correctly :P**_

_**So I went back through and fixed some inconstancies and I think I know what I'm going to do with the rest of this story, all I need to do is write it out. We'll get there eventually I promise. So if you feel like it go back through and reread some of the chapters. I didn't change anything drastic but I feel like it may read a bit smoother now and that some things make a bit more sense now. So thank you for sticking with me as usual and I'll see you again, hopefully soon!**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own any of these characters except for William Marks and Riley Furnick, both of which come from my imagination and are not meant to represent anyone. Any connection to real life people is completely accidental and I apologize.**

_**WARNING: SLIGHT MENTION OF NON-CON**_

_**If this is triggering in any way please beware. I do not go into detail but it is mentioned slightly. This story took a bit of a darker turn than I expected and I apologize. It is not detailed what so ever but it is there and I would rather be safe than sorry. If you or anyone you know has been raped I apologize and please know that there are people that are willing to listen to you and you should seek immediate medical attention. Once again, there is a mention of non-con so please be careful. **_

Alex woke in an unfamiliar room. The wallpaper was old, peeling in some places, and a small chandelier hung from the ceiling. The only furniture was the small wooden chair that Alex was currently tied to. His arms were wrapped around the back, his wrists tied together. More of the thick rope was tied around his ankles and wrapped around his chest and the back of the chair. He wouldn't be getting out of this any time soon. Even if he did have some sharpish object to cut through the rope, his coordination was too far off.

The room was quiet; no sound could be heard from anywhere. His neck hurt and he could feel his head pounding due to the constant beatings it had received lately.

Neal had said he had a concussion before, and it had probably only gotten worse. He could feel the haze covering his mind making it hard to think straight, the edge of his vision was black and everything was just a bit blurry. He felt nauseous, but he pushed it away not needing to get sick all over himself when he was being held captive.

Speaking of Neal.

He had no idea if they had made it out. All he knew was that he had been pushed out of the building almost as soon as the alarm went off. He didn't even know what _had_ happened. Neal and Ben could be dead for all he knew. And it would have been his entire fault.

He let his head hang, allowing the despair wash over him. He should have never let anyone near him. All that ever happened was death. Anyone that got close, really anyone that talked to him, ended up hurt; if not dead.

He didn't hear the footsteps, and narrowly missed the sound of the door being swung open. Looking up he met the dark green of the man's eyes, looking at him as if looking at his soul. There was nothing friendly about William Marks and his eyes showed the trait well. There was no show of any warmth as the man looked at Alex, there was really no show of any emotions, just that of contempt and hatred.

A sudden slap to his face had Alex reeling. He didn't know how much more of a beating his head could take. He didn't look back up at the man as he started to rant, allowing his head hang, closing his eyes against the light and hopefully, the dark reality of the world he was in.

"Well Rider, look at the mess we're in now. I hope you're happy. I have the FBI on my trail, and I have a meeting tonight at the Philharmonic. Hopefully I'll find my painting, the one that you refuse to give me the location too." A punch followed the sentence, his aggravation at the situation coming through clearly, but Marks was not done yet, "Because of your friend I'll have to resort to _much_ more physical persuasion." Marks grabbed his face harshly, making sure Alex was looking at him before talking, a sadistic little smile crossing his face, "I'm going to put you through a world of hurt. You might think you have known pain, but do not worry, I'll have you giving me answers within hours."

And he was right, that is if Alex had had answers, he would have given them in a heartbeat. Marks grew more and more frustrated as Alex continued screaming out 'I don't know, I don't know'. Not for one moment did he believe that Alex might have been telling the truth. Alex felt more bones break and crack then he had in all his life. Blood leaked from the many cuts that scattered his body and there was not a place that was left untouched as bruises littered anything that might have been left out. His bullet wound felt as if it was on fire and every move that Alex made only brought more pain. He wanted nothing more than to curl up and die. His nausea kept getting worst as the smell of his own metallic blood assaulted him. The world spun around him, even if he was sitting absolutely still.

Marks knew what he was doing and was able to keep Alex alive, all while giving him the greatest amount of pain possible. All Alex wanted to do was slip into a world of unconsciousness, but any time his eyes stayed closed for more than a minute Marks was splashing cold water at his face.

It was until hours later that he was granted this wish. Hours filled with mental and physical abuse. And when there was no more room outside of Alex to harm, Marks moved inward. Taking one of the few things Alex had been able to keep throughout the mess that was his spy life. Ripping out any hope of recovering from this, Marks took Alex's will to survive. The tears spilled over without a care of who saw as he was violated in every way possible, as Marks ripped away Alex's virginity, taking any innocence left with it.

Alex eventually slipped into oblivion, tears still trailing down his face, the sound of the door closing ringing in his ears as his eyes slipped closed.

It was another few hours before Alex came back to the land of the living. His head pounded and every part of his body ached. He felt the itch of dried blood along the side of his face. Pain radiated from everywhere and he was more than sure that his wrist was broken, along with a few ribs, maybe a leg. His shoulder was popped out of place and he may or may not have had fractures in a few places. His mind was foggy and all he wanted to do was fall back into unconsciousness. The approaching steps escaped his attention. Alex didn't even look up as Marks walked through the door, the slap to his face did little more than make his head whip to the left, causing his vision to black out before lights danced in his eyes as his head pounded from the abuse. With a snap of his fingers, Marks had someone holding Alex's head up. The hand gripping his hair felt as if it was ripping off his scalp.

Marks was dressed for more than just success. His black and white tuxedo reminded Alex of James Bond which was more than ironic seeing as Alex was supposed to be the James Bond in this situation, but Alex wasn't sure he would have been able to make a great escape with the condition he was in.

"Alex, so glad you could join us in the world of the living. Guess what?" There was a pause as if Marks actually expected Alex to give him an answer before he continued on. "We're leaving. You are getting out of here. Of course I'll be with you along with a few of my guards who will be keeping guns trained on you the whole time, but you'll still be getting out and getting fresh air." He smiled as if expecting a 'thank you'.

Marks frowned at the lack of response but continued on anyways. "I can't afford to leave you behind; therefore I need to bring you with me to my meeting at the Philharmonic. You'll be a valuable piece if anything goes wrong. After I get the location of the painting, I'll have my men go find it. When we finally have the painting we'll be off to collect a couple more things. Only when I have everything I need will I get rid of you. Permanently. " He smirked when Alex's eyes widened a fraction before whistling. A man immediately came rushing in, carrying a bag with a suit inside.

"Help Alex into his suit, will you. We have to leave soon. Wouldn't want to be late, now would we." With that Marks left the room letting the door swing shut behind him.

An hour later and Alex was finally in the suit. It fit remarkably well, but the pain he had gone through in order to get it on had his head spinning and him fighting off the bile that rose in his throat. They had cleaned up his more noticeable wounds before lathering on make up to make it look like he was not hanging onto consciousness by a thread. If this had been a normal things Alex would have been impressed with their skills to cover it all up. But nothing about this was normal, in fact it was so far from normal Alex was more disgusted with this talent than anything else. How many others had they used these skills on?

He was carried out of the house like a sack of potatoes and roughly thrown in the back of the limo. They buckled him, cuffing him to some random rods that ran through the inside of the limo, before moving out of the way to allow Marks to step into the limo and sit across from an exhausted Alex, who's head rested at an awkward angle against his shoulder. "Are you ready Alex? My big plan is about to be set in motion. I'm sure you'll love it. Sadly you won't get to see me carry it out. I'm also not one of those bad guys that spell out their plan to people, so I guess you'll never really know."

Alex said nothing, allowing his eyes to close, knowing that Marks wouldn't try anything, not after having people go through all that work to make him look presentable. The cold window was comforting, even if he couldn't see out of it.

The ride wasn't as long as Alex would have hoped it would be. The shorter the ride the less time Ben had to find him. Marks gave him some speech about not trying anything and how Alex should try to look like he was having fun, or something along those lines. Alex wasn't really paying attention, to busy trying to gather the energy to put on the show he knew was coming.

As soon as the door opened Alex was assaulted by light and sound. New York City was lit up like usual, including the Avery Fisher Hall. Light spilled through open doors that people continuously flooded through. Everyone was talking and it seemed as if many people felt the need to yell. Alex's head pounded, the headache intensifying as Alex fought to stay up right.

Marks followed right behind him, a hand on his shoulder. A few men and women came up to them, talking to Marks as if friends, asking who Alex was. "My nephew," was the reply, Alex skin crawled at the simple thought of even being that closely related to the man. They proceeded to head inside, following much of the crowd. Inside the orchestra hall was quieter, many people having stayed outside to talk to everyone they knew. The lights were softer and Alex melted into his seat, sliding his eyes closed trying to lessen the pain of his pounding skull, and fighting of the nausea that came with having pushed himself to stay up for so long.

Alex felt like everything was louder than it should be, as if his hearing had intensified, even if it was quieter in the hall than outside. He was able to hear the drone of people talking in the rows in front of him, the quiet murmur of people outside the door talking before the show began and even some whispered conversations all the way in the top row.

He cracked one of his eyes open at the sound of a chair being pushed down and someone joining the end of the row. A man, looking to be in his early forties, with a thick head of black hair that was slightly graying, had joined them, though he didn't say a word. Alex let himself fall back into the seat, his eyes sliding closed again. He kept his ears open, listening for any conversation from Marks and the man, but none came.

Eventually the lights went down and the curtains went up. That's when the real show began.

"Boss we got a hit. A man named Riley Furnick was connected to Marks back in 2004. Furnick sold Marks drugs, but what those drugs went to was unknown. The investigation was eventually closed, they had no idea where it was all going and had no leads so they eventually arrested Furnick with drug dealing and illegal possession. When they went into arrest Marks, for illegal possession as well, he had disappeared. There was no trace of him anywhere." Diana held the file out after announcing what she had found to the group.

"Where is Furnick now?" Peter asked as he looked over the file.

"He's still in prison. I've arranged for you to talk to him. Same prison Caffrey was in." Peter was out of his seat with the first few words. Neal and Ben following close behind.

They arrived at the prison in record time. Flashing his badge to the security guards he was able to walk through without a problem reaching the same meeting room that him and Neal had negotiated his release in. "Riley Furnick, my name is Peter Burke, I'm part of the FBI. I need to know everything you know about William Marks." He flawlessly slid into the seat across from Furnick, Neal and Ben standing behind him.

"Who?" There was a hit of a German accent as he talked.

"The man you were selling drugs to in 2004."

"I sold a lot of drugs to a lot people. I don't really remember who was who."

Peter had to take a deep breath to keep from exploding in irritation. Ben took this time to butt in, taking the conversation into his own hands. "William Marks, he would have ordered more than any other person you sold too. You asked what it was for and he told you that it was none of your business and that if you knew what was good for you, you would keep out of it. He was straight to the point and would not partake in small talk. He would ask for what he wanted and you would give it to him and get out. He was well dressed, not like usual customers. William Marks. Do you know him or not." Ben was quick to speak, giving the information flawlessly and fast.

"There was a man like you speak of. His name was not William Marks though, he was known as Joshua Michaels. He would always ask me to meet him at some fancy place to figure out where the deals would go down. Wasted most of my money on renting suits just to fit in to the places he took me." Furnick looked disgruntled at the last part, obviously not liking that he had spend his earning in order to get more.

"Was there any where that he took you more often than any other place?" Neal was quick to speak this time, wanting the information and wanting it fast.

"Yeah, he was always making me meet him at the Philharmonic. The Avery Fisher Hall, at the Lincoln Center? Even if it was weird it was still a good place to meet. The music made it hard for anyone to hear us; most people were focused on the orchestra anyways. No one would have thought that there was drug deal going down. It was a pretty good meeting place." Peter was out of his seat, pulling his phone out as Furnick continued to ramble on.

"Diana, we got a place. Suit up and bring extras. We'll meet you at the Avery Fisher Hall." He snapped his phone shut before marching out.

Furnick stood as they began to leave, "Hey do I get anything, you know, for helping you guys out?"

"Yeah, no extra jail time." Peter let the door swing shut behind him as he left, the resounding echoing bouncing around Furnick as he was left behind.

_**A/N:**__** Muhaha, another chapter! Take that procrastination.**_

_**Anyways I apologize for the long warning in the beginning but it was needed I don't know if I should up the rating or not. I mean it's not like I went into detail, but I know some people may still be triggered by even a small mention so I apologize.**_

_**So this is going to be coming to a close soon! Look at that, after, what two years, it may finally be finished. God, I'm a horrible person. It would help if I had internet though.**_

_**Also I tried the whole research thing and that's where the Philharmonic came from. Please let me know it anything is wrong!**_

_**Anyways….future projects.**_

_**I'm goin' try to keep it to one-shots so that things like this don't happen again. And if I do decide to write out chapters again, they will all be pre-written before being published. I really am sorry for this. It was horrible to do this to you guys. I am sooooooo sorry. **_

_**I'm going to give my go at some Supernatural fics, that I have planned and I think I may publish some stories that I have written that are complete originals on fiction press. If I do that, I'm going to be obnoxious and put links on every story I have ever written. YAY! So yeah look for that. **_

_**Umm…what else? I don't know. I'll get the next chapter up eventually but hopefully it won't be a year again, wait let me correct that. It will NOT be another year before I put a chapter up, hopefully it won't even be a month. **_

_**Alright, good-bye I'm off to kick procrastinations butt…hopefully.**_

_**Reviews make me happy and guilt…meaning I write faster:P**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:**** I do not in any way own Alex Rider or any affiliated character. **

People filed in as the lights went down, the noise level growing before falling once more. The orchestra began as soon as everyone had found their seat, filling ever corner of the room with music. Alex's head complained as the noise aggravated his migraine. It took him a few minutes before he even noticed that Mark's attention was not on the orchestra, but rather on the man that had joined them at the last minute.

They talked in hushed tones that Alex couldn't hear, the music making it even more difficult to even try to hear anything they were saying. If he tried too hard to listen in the only thing he got was a worsened feeling of nausea. He didn't know how much longer they were going be here and he didn't know how much longer he would last before passing out. He had been through so much and the only rest he had recently gotten was when he passed out, he just wanted to sleep, and not an unconscious sleep either. Real sleep. Like the sleep had gotten at Junes, in the big fluffy bed with a massive amount of pillows that no one would ever really use.

Then he heard something that made his heart stop.

The first song has ended and as the orchestra was getting ready for the second he heard a single sentence that scared him. 'We'll have to find the ones that got away and dispose of them, as they could ruin the whole operation.'

'_They want to get rid of them. They want to __**kill **__them.' _ His blood ran cold. They only people he had left, the only ones that may actually care for him, and they were going to wipe them out.

He wasn't going to let it happen. So he did what came best. He made a plan of attack.

The show had started by the time the car had come to a screeching halt in front of the magnificent building. Ben was out of the car before it had even stopped moving, Neal following close behind, leaving Peter to park the car in the middle of the street, before following after Neal and Ben. He knew Jones would move the car if need be, but right now, there were more important things to take care.

K-Unit was stuck in a van near the back of the caravan of police cars streaming through New York. If Ben wasn't in mission mode he probably would have thought about waiting for his old team, but right now there was one thing on his mind.

The music from the theater could be heard in the lobby, loud and yet somehow still distant. A few people still mulled about, lounging in chairs, or standing in groups, quietly conversing. The receptionist looked on in befuddlement as men with guns streamed in through the doors, but did nothing to stop them.

"Alright, we need to do this carefully and quietly. One wrong move could get Cub killed." Peter turned to Neal and Ben, the latter of whom only nodded, keeping a straight face. Neal's expression on the other hand, worried Peter. His mind was turning and he was fueled with anger, two things that did no mix well when it came to Neal Caffrey. Any other time Peter would bench Neal, saying he was too close to the case, but in reality they were all too close to the case. Peter would be lying if he said he held no anger at the moment, and he knew that Ben was probably boiling over (having known the kid longer and holding a much more personal relationship.) But Neal tended to not think things through when he was angry or upset, and it could end with someone getting hurt.

But there was not much Peter could do, they were already here and there was no way Neal would listen to Peter if he so much as attempted to tell him to stay in the car. The man never listened to him anyways. Peter tried his best to comfort himself with the thought they there were three professionally trained army men with him, along with an MI6 agent. If Neal tried to do something stupid, they would stop him.

As men continued to come in, many dressed as if late comers to the show, Peter barked out orders. Ben was over by K-Unit, most likely talking over what was going to go down when they went in.

Ten minutes later everything was in place and ready to go. Hughes had talked to the manager, and then the owner, as they had made their way over, telling the man about what was happening. There were going to be no problems, at least that's what Peter kept telling himself.

Alex didn't have much in way of strength, even with adrenaline pumping through his system, but he was definitely going to do all he could. First, the element of surprise, and then the attack. If he kept his mind focused on the fact that Marks was going to kill everyone, that may possible, in some way, care for him, he could do this.

Deep breaths kept him focused. The shaking could not be controlled, but all he need was concentration.

The energy Alex mustered just to stand should have wiped him out, but being the stubborn teenager he was he somehow stood strong.

Deep breaths.

'_He will kill them.'_

The he set his plan in motion.

He brushed past Marks and the stranger, making it to the walkway before Marks grabbed hold of Alex's wrist, holding tight enough to bruise. "Where do you think you're going?" The growl would have been much more threatening if it had not been whispered.

Alex's pain muddled mind didn't think quick enough to come up with an answer, and in a rare panic he lashed out, throwing his fist at Marks face. It almost caught him, but Alex's reflexes were slow, and Marks dodged quite easily.

"Boy, if you do not sit down, I swear, your life will become much worse than it already is." He yanked on Alex's arm, eliciting a whimper of pain before Alex once again tried to gain a hit.

"You're really going to try this here." Marks face grew dark, before a mask slipped over, making him look cheery and concerned at the same time. Alex was past confused and maybe he was just a tad bit scared. "Come nephew, I think a quick visit to the bathroom should help." His voice held concern and if Alex had been able to concentrate more he may have heard a bit of smugness slip into his tone as well.

As it was Alex was too busy thinking of the next part of his little plan. Currently things were working out well, but the plan was still being thought up as Alex went. His brain was in overdrive, working hard over the concussion that was probably going to be lethal when he finally got out of this mess.

Marks excused himself, whispering something to the strange man at the end of the row, before dragging Alex along up the walk way toward the doors. Just as they reached the door and Marks was about to pull them open, Alex pounced.

Jumping on the back of the man, Alex pulled back on his hair, dragging the man down until he fell on his back. There was a struggle, Marks almost gaining the upper hand and landing a few fists on Alex's already bruised abdomen. By some miracle Alex had somehow been able to pin Marks to the floor. _How _Alex had been able to do that, in the state he was in, was something that he would never really be able to figure out, but something that he would be thankful for none the less.

Alex's body was weak but he somehow managed to keep himself on top of the furious man underneath him.

"That man at the end of the row. He likes to call himself Thanos? Do you know what that name means? In Greek, it means Death. If you let me go now and do as I say, I won't have him kill everyone you hold dear. Do you understand me? He will kill _everyone _you love. Now let me go!" Marks old age held him hostage under the younger man, in the struggle something had popped, and now his back was locked. But he prided himself on his skills of negotiation, and his ability to threaten people into submission. The only thing he failed to realize was that Alex did not take well to his loved ones being threatened.

"_He will kill everyone you love."_

"_He will kill everyone you love." _

"_He will kill everyone you love." _

It echoed in Alex's mind, wrapping around every thought and idea until all he could think of was that single strand of words.

And then he broke.

He doesn't remember when he threw the first fist, but suddenly he was throwing punch after punch at the man underneath him. Adrenaline ran through his body, he was sure he had never had that much adrenaline flowing through his system before, and if it were possible to overdose on adrenaline he would have surely been dead by now. The crash later was going to be dreadful but his mind was occupied.

'_He will kill everyone you love.'_

The single thought suddenly morphed into a dozen different ones, all things Marks had said to him as he tortured Alex, and then Alex remembered something. The one thing he had been able to keep throughout everything he had been through, but Marks had taken it. The single thing that was his and his alone, and Marks had ripped it away.

"You took it." Alex screamed as his movements increased. The music behind them had hit a crescendo, the volume growing as Alex threw punch after punch at the man, ignoring the protests that his body was making. Adrenaline coursed through his blood as his anguished mind reminded him of all the pain that Marks had put him through. From every little bruise that Marks had indirectly put on his body, to the things that would scar him both physical and mental for the rest of his life, and all of the things in between, they all ran through his mind, reminding him why he was hurting this man.

His arms were growing tired and he was losing his voice as he continued to scream at the man who was somehow still conscious. He felt wetness on his cheeks but he couldn't tell whether it is tears, sweat, or maybe both. People were watching on in horror as this young man attacked someone many of them seemed to know. The assassin that called himself Thanos was pushing his way through the growing crowd, trying to help his boss. The orchestra didn't seem to notice that a different kind of show was currently holding their audiences attention.

Then Alex heard his name. At first he had thought it was just his imagination. No one had come to his rescue before, MI6 usually left him for dead until the last second. But then he heard it a second time.

"Alex." It was a familiar voice and Alex paused, his fist raised, ready to hit Marks again, even though he had finally gone unconscious a few minutes ago.

"Al, stop. Look at what you are doing." The voice pushed its way past the angered thoughts that thirsted for revenge for everything that was done to him. It pushed all those thoughts to the side and dragged out the part of him that was willing to listen. "Look at him Al, its okay. He won't hurt you anymore. It's time to stop."

Looking below him Alex saw the bloody mess that was currently William Marks. His nose was beyond repair, blood pouring out faster than Alex had ever seen. His lips were split in more than one place and he was missing some of his pearly white teeth. Bruises were already starting to form around his eyes and there were plenty of places where the skin had been cut open by Alex's fingernails.

Looking at is own hands, Alex let out a strangled cry. They were covered in blood, none of it being his own. He back pedaled, running right into some one. Whipping around he came face to face with Ben. He backed away slowly ashamed of himself, how had he let himself get so carried away?

That was when the adrenaline crash hit. He fell to his knees, body shaking in exhaustion. Tears streaming down his face as he looked at the floor trying, and failing, to see past the blood on his hands.

"Alex? It's okay." A warm hand lightly rested on his shoulder.

"What did I do?" Alex gasped out, his breaths coming fast and erratic. A panic attack was setting in, something that had never happened before.

"You protected yourself Al. You're fine, deep breaths for me, okay bud." Ben's voice kept him grounded and Alex suddenly found himself falling forward into Ben's chest, listening to what the man said, as he coached Alex away from the panic attack before it could really set in.

"Agent Daniels, I suggest you get him out of here. Neal, you go with them and make sure that they make it out to the Ambulance alright." It was only when Peter's voice floated through Alex's muddled mind did he notice that the music had stopped and there was the sound of people being herded out the doors.

Alex felt himself being lifted, and for once in his life he couldn't find it in himself to care that he may look weak. He just wanted it to be over.

Blood coated his hands, and all he could do was watch them tremble as he sat on the bumper of the Ambulance. Alex almost laughed at how symbolic it was. The blood completely coated his hands; every inch and crevice was covered in the stick red stuff, the metallic smell seeping into his nose, making his weak stomach turn.

He was tuned out from the world. Everything around him was all just a blur of lights and noises. People rushed passed, EMT kept coming over, and cop cars came and went. Nothing was constant but the cold of the bumper underneath him and the sticky coating of blood.

And Ben.

He hadn't left Alex side since he had brought the boy out from the hall. He had been there as EMT's had forced him back to consciousness after he passed out in Ben's arm. They worried about his concussion and Alex found himself being checked on every few minutes to make sure he was still awake.

Neal and Peter would have been there to, but they had been dragged away for questioning by their boss. Neal had argued every step of the way, but Peter's reassurances that Neal would be allowed to visit the teenager later had calmed him long enough for Peter to push him into a waiting cruiser.

For Alex everything had been moving too fast since he had been found. He felt sick, and tired, and wanted nothing more than to go home to England, even if the house would be empty, it was still better than everything that was happening at that moment.

Eventually, an EMT came over and announced that it was time to go. Alex didn't move, still lost in thought while staring at his hands. Ben had been more than worried at this behavior. Alex had never acted like this, but if Ben had any inkling about what had happened to Alex while he had been alone with Marks then he had every right to be acting weird.

It was when the EMT went to grab Alex's shoulder to get him into the back of the ambulance that Ben jumped into action. Whenever Alex was lost in thought, it was best to leave him alone, unless absolutely necessary. He could become violent, acting on instinct rather than rational thought. The EMT's wrist was locked in Ben's grip, as Ben pulled him away from the too silent teenager.

Ben explained the situation to the EMT, before telling him that he was more than capable of handling it, maybe even lying about being Alex's father in order to have that top priority status. The EMT allowed him to take care of Alex, telling him that he would be in the front ready to drive whenever Ben was able to get Alex into the stretcher.

Alex was still staring at his hand when Ben returned. Taking a cloth from a shelf inside the ambulance, Ben approached Alex carefully, being loud, but not loud enough to spook the child.

"Alex?" He called hoping for some sort of response.

Nothing.

So he tried again, a little more forcefully then the last time, but still allowing Alex to understand that Ben was friend and not foe. "Alex."

Alex, in turn, shivered. Ben took it as a good sign.

"Alex, come on, we have to go now." Alex only shivered again.

Ben came closer, and very carefully settled a hand on Alex's shoulder. "Come on Al, we gotta go." When no backlash came Ben placed the towel in Alex's hands, crouching down in front of the teenager, trying to catch his line of sight. No such luck. Alex was a professional when it came to hiding his face, and it didn't help that he used that overgrown fringe of his, to help.

Taking Alex's hand in his own he began to clean it off, rubbing as much of the blood off as he could as he talked to the catatonic teen in front of him. "You did what you had to do Al. Marks is going to live and will be sent off to prison. The man he was meeting here was caught before he could even leave. Everything is going to be fine."

He looked up, finally able to catch the boy's eyes, pushing the blonde locks out of his face. "You'll be fine. But you need to listen to what the Doctors say. They are here to help, and right now they need you to get up in the stretcher. Think you can do that?

"Will you stay with me?" If Ben hadn't been attuned to listening for quiet sound he might have missed what Alex said, but he had heard and he smiled softly.

"Every step of the way." He finished wiping of Alex's hands before standing, offering his hand to the boy.

It was going to be a long walk through recovery, but Ben knew Alex could do it, and he hadn't lied when he said that he would be there through it all.

**A/N:**** Alright, so now that I've finished applying to colleges I have more time to push homework to the side. **

**God I am so sorry. I hope length may make up for the wait, though I know it won't make up for it completely. **

**I plan for one more chapter, then an Epilogue full of happy fluffiness. ** **I **_**WILL**_** have the next chapter up at the latest January 4****th****. If not, I want you all to leave me a review reminding me of my promise so that I will be guilted into writing the next chapter. **

**Oh yes, and I am sorry for my shady medical stuff. I try to research things but I'm not the best. If something is wrong just let me know and if anyone is willing to write up what Alex may have for a doctor's report that would be wonderful, because I'll probably forget some injury that he has. If he does have an injury that I forgot about, let me know and I will fix it to the best that my sad, little writing ability will allow me. **

**Alright, enjoy your Holidays and New Year and I will see you soon! **


	9. Epilogue

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own anything you recognize.**

Boxes were everywhere. Furniture was placed haphazardly around the house. They hadn't really had time to organize everything yet, as meetings with MI6 kept popping up. It had taken months of paperwork, but both Ben and Alex were free from MI6's clutches. They had even moved to the States to get as far away from them as possible. Ben had friends in the CIA, and with a bit of backstory he was able to convince them to keep a look out incase MI6 tried to rope Alex back in. As far as Ben could tell, they were safely hidden away from MI6.

They were allowed to live a normal life.

Ben couldn't help but worry though. Alex had been acting off ever since they had landed back in New York after being in London for a while to pack and ship things off. He had been quiet, taking walks around the block, not saying anything for hours on end, preferring to just sit in the living room in absolute silence.

Ben knew it must have been hard for him. The excitement of a spy's life being left behind, and traded in for a normal, boring, life. It must have been a bit of a shock, Ben was having his own problems adjusting, but Alex just refused to talk to anyone, opting to lock himself, and his emotions, away.

Now, the night everyone was going to come over for drinks, and a bit of a celebration, Alex could be found outside, staring at the apartment building blankly. Ben, himself, sat inside, using a box labeled 'sheets' as a seat, watching the younger man.

He could only hope that Alex would eventually open up to him, or at least, to someone.

The snow drifted down, the wind pushing and pulling the small flakes about before they finally touched ground, covering it with a thick blanket of fresh powder. Alex pulled his coat around him, rubbing his hands up and down his arms in the hopes of creating some type of friction to keep him warm.

The building stood in front of him. It wasn't too large, looking more like a home than an apartment building, but then again, that's what it was supposed to be, a home. There was a nonexistent yard in the front, but the back held enough room for Fox to run around. While the German Shepard may have been retired from police work, he still held a lot of energy.

The front door opened, Ben coming out to join Alex on the side walk. "Bit chilly out here, don't you think?" When he received no reply, the smile dropped from his face and he looked at the teenager in concern. "Al, you okay?" He placed a warm hand on the boy's skinny shoulder, hoping to pull him from his reverie. The slight pressure did the trick and Alex finally pulled himself out of his thoughts.

"Hmm," His breaths turned to fog in front of him, the snow sticking to his blonde locks, much like it stuck to the ground.

"Al, come on buddy, you gotta talk to me. God knows you won't talk to any bloody therapist, so at least talk to me."

"What's there to talk about Ben?" Alex refused to look at him, instead looking down at Fox, who's tongue was lolling happily as Alex scratched behind his ear.

The air was chilly, and Ben was worried that Alex could potential get sick, the thin coat he was wearing doing almost nothing to help keep out the cold air. He was still taking antibiotics after an infection occurred in one of the many wounds that Alex had sustained during the 'indecent.' His immune system wasn't working at full capacity yet, and Alex was still left fatigued and exhausted at the end of the day. Alex getting sick was one of the worst things that could happen right now.

Ben sighed, he knew this conversation was going to be difficult. Alex didn't like talking about his feeling. Not that Ben could say anything, it took him ages before he realized it was better for everyone (including himself), if he just talked to the therapist. But Alex was a teenager, and a hard-headed one at that. So Ben just went with it, hoping to Alex would eventually open up to him.

But that tactic was taking much longer than he had hoped and he was worried for Alex.

"I don't know Al, maybe the fact that we just moved from England to New York? Or maybe the fact that you haven't spoken a word about the incident since it happened, even though you have nightmares that leave you sick in the middle of the night." Ben hadn't meant to snap, but there was only so much he could handle. It was all taking its toll on him as well.

Alex's head snapped up, his eyes fierce as Ben mentioned the 'incident', the name for what happened last month.

"Maybe I don't want to talk about it, huh? Ever thing about that Agent Daniels." A flinch, Alex knew how much it hurt Ben when he called him Agent Daniels, even though now it was technically 'Retired Agent Daniels', but that wasn't what bothered him.

Before Alex could stomp off, Ben grabbed hold of him, pulling him in by his wrist. "Al. I know you don't want too, but you need too. And you know it." A gentle push under his chin for eyes to meet eyes, and Alex broke.

Ben has always been there for him. Since their first mission together, Ben had made sure to stay in touch, checking in every now and again, bringing groceries whenever he popped by for a visit. Though Alex had told himself over and over again, not to get attached, he had anyways.

And while that hadn't hurt anyone (actually helping both men in the process), Alex was use to beating himself up when finding new friends. Calling himself selfish, worried that he was putting the other in danger all because he just wanted a friend. Ben was different though. Ben could protect himself, while at the same time inadvertently protecting Alex as well. It wasn't something Alex was use too, and it was over whelming at times, such as now, when there was someone who he could confide in without any consequence.

And maybe, it scared Alex.

"I'm sorry." It was soft, but Ben was used to it by now. Any time Alex talked it was almost always in a whisper, but this was something Ben was not use to hearing come out of his mouth. His neck snapped to the side, looking at the child who had been silent for almost a minute.

"There is nothing to be sorry about, Alex. I know it must be hard for you. It hasn't been easy for me either. But you got to people in sooner or later. We're all here for you." K-Unit was over at least once a month, and Peter, and the rest of the gang were basically right around the corner.

"I know. It's just….I'm so use to having to stay quiet. Getting involved, making relationships. It was dangerous, so I just didn't. Staying this close to people, it's….nerve wracking. I'm always scared that something is going to happen. Something always happens." He looked at the ground, a nice thick blanket of snow covering the ground. Fox jumped around, trying to catch the small snowflakes the fluttered down around them.

"I understand. It's going to take some use to, but your safe now, so is everyone you know. You have friends in high places, and many of us are capable of taking care of anything that may come out way. Trust me, when I say, you are safe, as is everyone around you." Ben turned to Alex, taking in the boys guarded stance and pensive face. "I am here to stay, Al. I promise."

The boy finally turned, facing his guardian. Ben's face was graced with a smile, Alex 's smile coming out as the words sunk in. Ben hadn't seen him smile in ages, and it was something that no one could replace.

Before either one of them could full process what happened, Ben had the boy wrapped in his arms, smile widening as he felt Alex wrap his arms around him as well.

They still had miles to go until they were anywhere near normal, but they had friends that would help. Things would change, eventually they would settle into a normal life. It would take time, lots of time, but they had all the time in the world.

For now though, they had a dinner party in an hour, and nothing was ready.

"So what do you say, how about we go back inside and get ready for Neal and the gang to come over. You can cook dessert?" It was a guilty pleasure that Ben had caught Alex in doing in the middle of the night. The cake decorating the boy was capable of was magnificent for a seventeen year old. Wrapping an arm around Alex shoulder, he guided the young man into the warm house. The house that was now their home.

**A/N:**** This is set about a month or two after the last chapter. **

**God I'm a horrible person. So initially this was supposed to be posted on January 4****th**** (?), but my computer got sick (ever heard of the Money pack Virus? For your sake, I hope not) and was out of commission for almost two weeks. Then school started and all hell broke loss. So all though it would have been late to begin with, I let it get out of hand and I am sorry. **

**But that is the last time you have to worry about it, because this was the last chapter. I can't keep doing this to you guys and I am sorry. I felt like this was a good place to leave off, and this chapter is crap, but it's the best I can do when life is getting the better of me. I am also sorry for the fact this is unedited and probably chopped full of errors. I'll go back and re-edit it later. **

**Thank you for all the support and I am truly sorry for being such a shoddy author. I hope you all enjoyed it though. **

**So long and Farewell. **


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